2009-05-25

Institute of Medicine Calls for Doctors to Stop Taking Gifts From Drug Makers

“In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer, we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.” from the website: www.advancedped.com

(Beachwood OH) – The Institute of Medicine (part of the National Academy of Sciences), yesterday issued a full report that scolded doctors for accepting money, samples, and food from drug companies.

Arthur Lavin, MD, a pediatrician at Advanced Pediatrics in Beachwood, has had a policy for 20 years of not taking money, samples, food, or gifts from any outside vendor. “It’s not something I think is beneficial to a patient,” Lavin said. “When we prescribe a drug, we want our patients to have the fullest confidence that the reason that particular drug is being ordered is because it is the best one for the job based on the evidence found by medical research, studies, and our previous experiences. We want no patient to even consider that the drug being prescribe might be a product from a company that provided us with free samples, money, gifts, or any other incentives designed to increase the sale of that and other products. We think the only honest way to be a doctor is to consider first what’s best for the child based on our own research and experience and follow that course of action free and clear of any possible suspicion of influence. Period.”

Dr. Lavin is the coauthor of “Who’s the Boss? Moving Families from Conflict to Collaboration” and “Baby & Toddlers Sleep Solutions for Dummies.”

He can be reached at Advanced Pediatrics, www.advancedped.com , 216-591-1515.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/health/policy/29drug.html


*Disclaimer*
The comments contained in this electronic source of information do not constitute and are not designed to imply that they constitute any form of individual medical advice. The information provided is purely for informational purposes only and not relevant to any person's particular medical condition or situation. If you have any medical concerns about yourself or your family please contact your physician immediately. In order to provide our patients the best uninfluenced information that science has to offer,we do not accept samples of drugs, advertising tchotchkes, money, food, or any item from outside vendors.

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